Just Watched

Saying no to life support

The Haggard-Sefton & Hirschy Funeral Home of Decatur said memorials could go to the couple's Baby Bowers Education Fund.

His widow is expecting a baby, family friend Bill Whitright told CNN.

"The last thing he wanted was to be in a wheelchair," the Indianapolis Star quoted Abbey Bowers as saying Wednesday. "... He would never be able to give hugs, to hold his baby. We made sure he knew that, so he could make a decision. Even if he decided the other thing, the quality of life would've been very poor. His life expectancy would be very low."

"He had such a strong faith that it didn't surprise me (that he made the decision)," Whitright said. "He was ready to go to heaven, he was ready for God."

"Tim was like a brother to everyone. He was just a great man. I learned a lot from a 32-year-old kid," Whitright said.

Medical ethicist Arthur L. Caplan of New York University said Bowers' death is a reminder that young people need to deal with difficult end-of-life decisions just like older adults.

"I know it's hard," he said. "Talk to your friends; talk to your family. Say, 'This is what I would want.' "

It's best to have the conversations now, he said.

Some people who are asked in the hospital if they want life support removed might change their minds after a few days. In this case, Caplan said, Bowers' hospital decision matched his prior discussions about living in a wheelchair.

"To the entire family so sorry for your loss," wrote Dean Dubach. "Tim was a good person. I just talked to him in the grain line. He said he was so happy with life, beautiful wife, baby on the way, business was good, crops were good. God bless the family."

"He would do anything for you. He had his transmission business, and if you had a wreck and couldn't afford to pay him, he would fix it anyway," Whitright said.

Bowers' decision to end his life prompted many comments on social media.

"Tim was a great guy" who always took time to help customers in need, Aaron Cowans wrote on Facebook. "I'm guilty of not wearing my safety belt," he wrote, adding that he hopes everyone will get something good out of the loss.

State conservation officers urge hunters to always wear a safety harness when climbing up or down tree stands and to use a haul line to move equipment up and down.